Stronger
by Reika Nanatsuki
Summary: She gives up her road as an adventurer the first day she takes the first quest that stripped her from everything: her confidence, her comrades, and her dignity. But her own legend only starts from there.
1. The Fated Day

**_Goblin Slayer © Kumo Kagyu, SB Creative_**

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**_Chapter 1: The Fated Day_**

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When one said that 'a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work', they might have forgot to include tears, bloods, and nightmares.

On that fated day when she walked out the guild with a porcelain tag hanging around her neck, talking about becoming a hero that would slay the dragons and save the city with her friend, the Swordsman, she still believed that she would achieve her dream one day. But the very same day, it was gone along with her comrades, along with her pride, along with her dignity as a woman…

Her head was hung low along with the other victims she should've saved that day. She was looking but at the same time not looking anything, just waiting until the cart stopped in front of a temple. She felt like her hand was being pulled and she just followed without resistance, following the person to anywhere they brought her to without really listening to what they said. She was led into one a room with six beds inside it and sat on the one near the window.

The sun was finally set, so did her life as an adventurer.

"…Hey." The Fighter didn't respond. Her eyes still remained on the sunset. The brown-haired man scratched his head and finally moved before her, blocking her sight from the sunset. He waited for her to respond him but got none because getting an 'are you okay' question was the last thing she needed; she was clearly _not_ okay. However, the sentence he blurted the next moment was something she never expected.

"Did anyone ever told you that you have the beautiful pair of eyes?"

She finally looked up to see an Alchemist grinning at her. If she was still her old self that morning, she might've kicked the man's ass for trying to flirt with her. What was he thinking to blurt such a comment when she was on her _current _state?

"Well… I'm uh… telling the truth?" he coyly said as he scratched the back of his head. That was the moment she noticed him carrying a bowl with green concoction in it. "I didn't lie when I said your eyes are beautiful. They're really looks like my mother's. You know, she's always a hard-headed woman with strong determination and that gene is actually running down in our—"

Suddenly the door was banged open. The Fighter jumped in her position due to her recent occurrence while the man's eyes widened in horror as he avoided a swing of axe that actually settled right beside his head. A woman she assumed a High Priestess cornered the man by placing her boot on his chest. The man raised his hands above his head to protect his concoction from spilling.

"T-that's _my_ axe," he stuttered.

"Indeed, it is," replied the High Priestess as she brushed her blonde hair away from her face. Her navy blue dress had high slits on both sides, revealing a bit of her thigh and the thigh high white boots that somewhat accentuated the purity effect to her clothes.

"How could you lift that? You shouldn't be able lift it! Let alone using it," he said.

"With the power granted by the Earth's Mother—I can lift anything. Swords, axes, and that including mountains, little brother of mine," the High Priestess sarcastically said as she made a cross sign.

The Alchemist gulped. "Then w-why are you attacking me?"

"I told you to never do anything _funny _to her… Not under my watch," she dangerously muttered.

"Sister," the Alchemist sighed, "I _didn't_ do anything funny to her."

"Then what are you doing? I told you to give the concoction then go back to your post _immediately_ yet I heard something like 'beautiful eyes' when I walked past this room! I've told you numerous times that _flirting—_" she grabbed his collar while the poor man held his concoction higher, "is _forbidden_ in this _holy _temple!"

"Why is it every time I'm telling something true to women you always said I'm flirting?" He sighed. "I'm just being spontaneous!"

"There's only a small difference between spontaneous and flirty! You're scaring the girls if you keep behaving like this!" she shouted while her fingers showing the measuring gesture.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry! Please let go or you're going to make me spill the concoction!" he pleaded.

"Oh." High Priestess looked up and released her hands from him without looking guilty. She then knelt before Female Fighter with a gentle smile. "I'm sorry if my brother happened to scare you. I can assure you that he doesn't have any bad intention. He's just a pure air-head."

"Hey…" The Alchemist disapprovingly glared at his sister.

Female Fighter stared at her for a moment before giving a small nod. Even though she didn't laugh, some part of her thoroughly amused by the banter between the siblings. The scene slightly envied her because she was an only child and none of her family was alive.

"Here," Alchemist said as he handed her the bowl he had been protected from his sister's wrath. "This is the potion I specially developed to… you know—the _aftermath_. Just to prevent the goblins from ruining your life any further."

Female Fighter noticed his intention to not bringing up her incident and she knew exactly what the potion would do to her so she took the bowl and drank it up in a go. Her tasting bud still numb due to crying and shouting back in the cave, but she still cringed at the bitter taste and the herbal smells that slowly spread through her nose. She nodded a thank you when Alchemist took the bowl from her.

"Great. You've finished all of it!" Alchemist cheerfully said. "I'll take my leave for now then. I'll be back with your dinner."

"Then let's clean you up," High Priestess said as she rolled her sleeves up. "A good warm bath would help you relax."

High Priestess helped her up and Female Fighter followed into the bathroom located just across the room. She could faintly smell something fragrant as soon as she entered the bathroom, but her nose was still numb so she couldn't put her finger on it. The moment she let herself soaked in the hot water, she felt soothe and relax for a moment.

"Do you want me to help you scrub your back?" the blonde haired woman asked but Female Fighter shook her head in response.

The last thing she needed at that moment was physical contacts with_ anyone_. Raising her arm, she massaged herself with White Birch branches. But as she paid attention to her skin, she could see the bruises from the goblins' grip on her, the scars their nails left on her ivory skin. It churned the content of her stomach, sending an ice wave all over her body and covered her ears as she started to hear their evil laughter.

But she could still hear it.

And she could feel the moment they pinned her to the ground.

She scrubbed her arms to get rid of the feeling, and the pain… but it was still there, lingering under her skin to the point she clawed her hand, scratching it in attempt to get rid of the feeling. Scorching heat was building behind her eyes and she couldn't stop her tears from flowing. She couldn't even hear her own screaming when the sickening sensation was too much.

"Ssh… hey, easy there…" the High Priestess said as she pulled Female Fighter into her embrace, stroking her black hair. "You're safe now. They can't harm you here," she assured.

She shook her head in response. It wasn't the matter of where they were now because they were always there, lingering inside her. And she couldn't get them out from her.

"I know that it is not my place to say this because I never been through what you went through but," High Priestess said as she released her embrace and stroke Female Fighter's hair from her face, "no matter how impossible it is, it will get better. Don't blame yourself for what had happened."

The Fighter wanted to respond her, but her words only came out like a random murmur. How could she not when she convinced everyone about her power? That goblins were nothing but pests she could send flying. Everything happened because they embarked without proper preparation and took the monsters lightly.

Her comrades were gone.

And she wasn't better alive herself because she had to continued living with the memory that would haunt her forever.

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_AN: __Honestly, I feel really bad for the Female Fighter. She's suffering the worst thing that could ever happen to a woman in what supposed her first step to achieve her dream. Which is why I want to write something so I can imagine her having a better life after despite her 'never to be heard from again'. This will be a short fic that might end below 10 chapters though. XD_

_The concoction I mentioned above is something similar to contraceptive pills to keep the victims from pregnancy. We all know that the goblins are all-males race and multiplied by mating with female from any races that will always resulting goblins._

_In case any of you available in Wattpad, please check out my account in ReikaNanatsuki. Honestly, with Wattpad being able to feature videos and graphics, I might be pampering you with more media over there. XD Please follow me, vote for my story, and add the book to your reading list!_

_For readers in Fanfiction, follows, favorites, and reviews are loved._

_Please note that I only upload my story in Fanfiction and Wattpad. If you happen to see my story in another sites, please kindly tell me._


	2. The Chocolate Chemistry

**_Goblin Slayer © Kumo Kagyu, SB Creative_**

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**_Chapter 2: The Chocolate Chemistry_**

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After making sure all the victims, excluding the Fighter, were back to their families, the Alchemist locked the temple's door with a sigh. If he wasn't out for adventures, he always stayed in the temple where his sister resided and helped her taking care of the injured people. Amongst the injured people, what he didn't like the most were the goblins' victims.

Women's eyes were supposed to be the most beautiful thing in the world, especially the mothers' eyes when they welcomed their children to the world. He hated to see the lights taken away and the low monsters like goblins were responsible for it.

However, he noticed that the lights weren't faded only in one victim—the Fighter.

She was blanked and unresponsive just like the other victims but he could see that her eyes were different. He couldn't put his finger on what was the difference but it was what made him said that her eyes were beautiful.

He felt bad with the fact that the girl was an orphan and had no relatives to host her so his sister decided to keep her in the temple until the Fighter knew what she wanted to do. It had been a week since she came to the temple and she remained silence all the time. Either he or his sister kept accompanying her whenever they could because there were times when she suddenly scratched herself if she didn't take baths for hours. He would give her the concoctions that would put her into sleep but he couldn't do that forever.

What was good about making her sleep and keeping her from facing the reality?

"It's only her first quest, huh?" he murmured to himself. It felt like yesterday since he did his first quest. He also did a goblin's quest just like the other rookie. However, he was lucky enough to have the man known as the Goblin Slayer assisted him.

The man was only a year older than him, but he was already two ranks higher than him. Even though all he did was slaying goblins but he had to admitted that the man knew what he was doing really well. It appeared that not every rookie as lucky as he was.

The Goblin Slayer wasn't like the rest of adventurers. He chose to slay goblins, not dragons or stronger monsters that would definitely earned him grander name. He chose to stay in the shadow and killed the goblins he believed would be a threat to the humankind one day. The Alchemist accepted his logic and asked him things about goblin slaying in exchange teaching the Goblin Slayer few tricks to make poisons. Since then, the Goblin Slayer would take the victims he rescued from his quest to their temple, which both him and his sister welcomed with open arms.

He patted his mouth as he yawned, shaking his head to keep himself awake as he walked down the hall. There he spotted the Fighter staring at the painting of the saint that used to bless the temple centuries ago. She donned the blue dress that used to be his sister's night dress when she was around the Fighter's age.

"Can't sleep?" he asked. The Fighter stared at him with eye bags under her red-rimmed eyes. He then cursed himself for asking the obvious. Who would be able to after what had happened to her? Her comrades were slaughtered before her eyes, not to mention what happened to her was more than enough to keep her eyes open for days, even years.

The Alchemist tilted his head slightly to his right, motioning her to come with him. "Come. Let me make something so you can sleep better." She followed him to the kitchen where he took two mugs. The Fighter entwined her fingers as she sat on the small dining table near the kitchen.

"I used to have nightmares a lot as a kid," he said as he took the cocoa powder from the cabinet and mixed it with water. "Probably because my sister's habit to tell me frightening stories about monsters that kidnap kids at night," he chuckled at the memory, "When that happened, my mother always made this for me." The Alchemist put the chocolate liquid before her.

"She would chant 'sugar'," he then put some sugar into it, "then 'spice'," he put cinnamon powder and mixed it, "and everything nice." For the finishing touch, he put a white star-shaped confectionery in the center of the liquid. "She said that this is the recipe to make a girl. That's why this thing would make any girls happy. But it turns out working for boys as well. I guess it's because what makes the girls happy, makes the boys happy as well."

The fighter stared at the star-shaped gelatin in the middle with wondrous eyes. He smiled to himself when she curiously poked it with her index finger. He pushed the glass into her and said, "Drink. It'll make you feel better." She took the mug and slowly sipped it, widened her eyes before she took a bigger gulp.

"Delicious, isn't it?" he asked.

She nodded. Her cheeks slightly blushed as she finished half of her mug and ate the star-shaped confectionery. He lifted his eyebrows, amazed to see her liking the chocolate because she barely drank or ate the entire week.

"Silly me. I should've thought about this drink from the first day you came." He grinned at her before he sipped his own chocolate. "To tell you the truth, this drink was the reason I want to become an alchemist."

She stared at him with her raven colored eyes, as if asking him why.

"Don't you ever wonder why this drink can make you happy? During my research I found out that the cocoa releases the substances into the brain. They are known to decrease both pain and stress. It's just amazing to see how these substances could affect people's moods. So… I started to study, then the more I know, the more problem to tackle, the more I'm excited to find out. And I just can't stop since then! You see, a little of this thing," he pulled out a tube from his pocket, "can either make a healing potion or a bomb. Isn't that interesting?"

The Fighter was taken aback by his fiery passion when he talked about alchemy at first but she couldn't help but smile. It was his turn to be taken aback by her reaction.

"Wow… Y-you have a beautiful smile…" he blurted. When the Fighter blushed at his bluntness, he quickly raised his hands and waved it. "I-I really meant it! I didn't mean to flirt with you. Trust me! I'm not a player! I never even date a girl before—" It was his turn to blushed. He quickly whipped his head to hide his face, cursing himself for blurting his history out loud.

When he heard a giggle, he froze in his position. He slowly craned his head to see the girl finally let out her melodious giggle. There was so much sorrow the first time he met her. He heard nothing but scream and cry from her lips, which was why the sight of her giggling was almost like a miracle for him.

The girl couldn't believe that she could laugh herself. She put her fingers on the corner of her eyes and felt something wet. The tears that escaped her eyes not because she cried, but because she laughed too much.

She was almost forgot that tears could be shed because the opposite reasons as well.

Turning her head to him, she shot him another smile and finally muttered the thing she wanted to say since the first day she met him. Though the way he spoke made him look like the sweet-talker she always avoided, his green eyes had spoken a lot of kindness. The way he stared at her whenever he assisted her through her trauma was the sincerest eyes she ever saw. It almost reminded her of her father.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for me." She then slightly bowed at him.

The Alchemist almost said "Even your voice is beautiful," but he swallowed it and smiled at her. "You're very welcome. I'm so glad to finally hear you talking."

The Fighter put her finger on her lips, still feeling the warmth of the chocolate she just finished. She didn't expect herself to be able to feel happy herself, but it might be because the warmth of the drink he made melted the ice that kept her from laughing.

"Anyway, do you want to join me shopping tomorrow?" he asked. The Fighter frowned at the thought, not wanting to see anything related to the adventurers but the Alchemist said again, "It's not good to keep yourself shut from the world for too long you know? How about… shopping for your favorite foods? Say, what do you like to eat?"

"Uhm… dumplings," she said. "I l-love dumplings…"

He rolled his eyes as he tried to think what it was. "Dumplings? What are they?"

"It's the kind of foods we eat in where I came from," she said. "Everything is based on dough, but you put different fillings into it. It can be meats, vegetables, fruits, or everything you want."

"Oh, that seems like an interesting chemistry! Okay, we'll shop for 'dumplings' tomorrow." The Alchemist clapped his hands.

"Okay."

"But first, we need to go to sleep so we can be ready for tomorrow." He patted her on her shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

The Fighter nodded and headed to her room with a rather ecstatic steps and tiptoed when she went into her room. She made sure that she didn't wake the High Priestess that slept beside her since the first day to watch her as she sneaked into her blanket. She was always scared for tomorrow but she didn't know why she couldn't wait for the sun to rise. Smiling, her eyes slowly fluttered close as the sleepiness took over her. What she didn't know was the blonde woman by her side smiling to herself.

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_AN: To tell you the truth, I barely played any game that has 'job systems' so pardon me if I make any mistake. XD What do you think about the chemistry between the Alchemist and the Fighter? Don't forget to drop a review! XD_

_For readers in Fanfiction, follows, favorites, and reviews are loved._

_Thank you **Evowizard25** for your review! I know that nothing much is happening in chapter 1 but I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming chapters! =D_

_Please note that I only upload my story in Fanfiction and Wattpad. If you happen to see my story in another sites, please kindly tell me._


	3. Brave

**_Goblin Slayer © Kumo Kagyu, SB Creative_**

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**_Chapter 3: Brave_**

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The sweet scent of chocolate was what woke her up that morning. She smiled when she opened her eyes to see the High Priestess bringing a cup of hot chocolate her brother made for her along with a stew she made, and it was the second most delicious thing she ever tasted recently. The Alchemist looked rather excited bringing her to the market for unknown reason. However, she couldn't hide the fact that she was rather excited as well.

Squeezing her eyes as the sun ray hit her vision, she started to wonder if the sun was always this warm. The Alchemist told him many things she didn't know about the town because she only reached the town last week when she registered to be an adventurer. The joyous laughter coming from the rookie adventurer didn't help at all. Glancing to her side, she saw a party made of a swordsman, a witch, and a priestess—exactly the same party she went with—talking about slaying goblins. Their eyes were brimming with dream and hope and she couldn't help but ponder if she looked like them back then.

"Hey." The touch on her shoulder startled her. She quickly turned around only to tripped on her own cloak and fell. "Sorry, are you okay? I didn't mean to startle you." The Alchemist offered his hand to help her up which she accepted.

However, she felt something different from the way people looking at her. They gave her pitiful gazes. Some whispered to another but she could hear something like 'goblin', 'victim', and 'sorry'. What hurt her was that one of them loudly said, "Wasn't she one of those goblins' playthings?"

"Yeah. Gross… They should've just leave her die than having her reproduce the goblins. We won't want that low creatures around us."

_Goblins' plaything…_

_She should've just left died…_

The words pricked her deep into her soul. She couldn't believe that the label as the strongest girl in her village was now replaced by them. The Fighter gritted her teeth and lowered her face, wishing that the earth could just swallow her away from the world that saw her nothing more than a dirt.

The next thing she saw was the guys were punched by something and was sent flying until they crashed the fruits stall behind them. Her mouth was gaped in surprise. She craned her head to see the Alchemist swatted his hand.

"Watch your mouth, rookies. You'll turn into goblin if you keep bad mouthing people," he said. "That was what my sister said."

"Why you!" they were about to retaliate but before they could reach the Alchemist, they stopped on their track, as if something froze them.

"Stop… bullying… will you?" A beautiful purple-haired witch appeared from their back with a smoke pipe on her hand. She rounded the two people who bad-mouthed her and blew the smoke on their faces, making them cough. "Or… I'll make things… very bad… for you…"

The sound of a metal being slammed on the ground startled them all, except the witch. A man in armor pointed his spear towards one of the people who bad-mouthed her. "And I will help her cut your tongues. Go away and don't ever show your faces in front of this lady again. You heard me?"

The men nodded in response. They immediately left the place after the Witch undo her spell on them. She let out a mischievous smile as she watched the two running as if a goblin champion was chasing after them.

"Are you… okay?" The Witch helped the Fighter up.

The Fighter nodded in response, but pulling the cloak around her tighter as she still sensed the way people gazed at her, as if the was too impure to stand in the place with them.

"I don't even know which one is better—people like them or goblins," said the Spearman as he placed his spear on top of his shoulder. "At least goblin is easier. They're bad and want to kill you to begin with. Unlike them, wearing human's skin but thinks like goblin." He then narrowed his eyes on the people that gathered around them. "What are you folks looking at? Go away!"

"No need to be… harsh…" the Witch said to her companion as she stood by his side, watching people left the place.

"Thank you so much for you help," said the Alchemist as he approached the Fighter from her back and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"My pleasure… boy…" She winked. The way the Witch smiled at him somewhat made him flustered.

"Just buy me a drink in the guild if you want to thank me," said the Spearman.

The Alchemist chuckled. "Sure, I owe you a glass. I've seen you in the guild a lot so it won't be hard to find you."

The Spearman waved his hand in response as he walked away with the Witch. The Alchemist sighed as he turned to see the Fighter who lowered her face as low as she could. He didn't feel like asking if she was okay because she clearly wasn't. Out of instinct, he decided to firmly entwined his gloved hand around her. But through the leather glove, she could feel the warmth of his hand radiating on hers and blushed.

"That will pass soon, don't worry," he said. "This city has too many things happening so the news won't last long."

"Y-you should just let my hand go. I don't want people to see you with m-me," she stuttered. "T-they will say bad things about you too!"

"Which is why I won't let go. I don't care about anything they'll say about me but I won't let they bad-mouth you."

"They're saying the truth… I'm just a goblin plaything… I'm not even the fighter I used to be…" She clutched her chest as she said it.

"You still are." He smiled. "You might not realize it yet. But I believe you're still a fighter you used to be."

"What makes you say so?"

The Alchemist stopped and stood before her, slightly bent so he was on her height level. "I can see it in your eyes… Somewhere inside you, the fire is still there and that what makes me think that your eyes are beautiful."

She stared at him with blush creeping her face. The black-haired girl couldn't believe that he could say something so blunt without feeling shame at all, almost like a kid. Touching her chest, she wondered if he was right about the fire inside her.

"Now, let's just forget about it for a moment and enjoy the city. Okay?"

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. But deep inside, she was torn apart between staying or going back to her hometown to avoid this kind of talks. However, if she ever going back to her hometown, it would be even more unbearable for her to have the whole village pitying her for what had happened. Her father was well-known because of his dojo so going back with the terrible news about her first quest would definitely ruin her father's name.

Suddenly, she heard people whispered from one to another again. Her eyes fell on a rather odd party that consisted of a dwarf, a lizard man, and a very beautiful elf kept saying something about _'orcbolg'_. Her ears were a little longer than the elves she usually met was what made her curious.

"She's a high elf," said the Alchemist. "A descendant of the true fairies. That's why she has longer ears than the elves you've met. But it's funny to see her walking with a dwarf, right?"

"I heard they're ancestral foes, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. But this is the first time I see them though." He suddenly stopped in front of a stall with excitement glinted in his eyes. "Oh, have you ever tried the cheese they sell here? It's really good!" The Alchemist pulled her to see a perfectly round thing she never saw before.

"C-cheese? What is that?"

"The fermented cow's or goat's milk that tasted like heaven. Here, try this," he said as he gave her a bite-sized cube. The Fighter put it into her mouth and she had to placed her hands on her cheeks as the delicacy melted inside her mouth.

"Dear Earth's Mother! This is so delicious!"

"Right? I'll have one of this please," said the Alchemist to the shop owner. "We'll melt this and eat it together with bread later. This food has good chemistries with many other things like wine, tomato, and many more."

"What an interesting food," she said.

"I'm way more interested with the 'dumplings' you mentioned." He grinned. "How does it look anyway?"

"Well… that will depend on the fillings. In where I came from, we usually shape the one with shrimp filling looks like water-drop while the one with meat filling looks like flowers. My mother was the best when it comes to fold it."

"I can't wait to see. You must be inheriting her skill."

"I do." She stared at her palms. "My father always prioritized the mastery of arts that are parts of our inheritance—my mother's dumpling fold skill, my father's martial arts. I've learnt them since I can remember. I even promised my father that I will use the arts he entrusted to me…" she clenched her fists, "to help everyone I can…"

She bit her bottom lip upon remembering how she failed him. How she must be an embarrassment to her father…

"I see. Your father must be proud to see you now." He patted her head.

"H-how so? I've failed to save my own party. I—"

"Do you remember the priestess that went with you to that quest? She told me everything. She told me that you're buying the time so she could escape with your other companion. I think that's the bravest thing anyone ever did in that situation."

"B-brave? Me?" She snorted.

"You knew what would happen to you. But you still decided to sacrifice yourself so you can save your friends instead of running. The Priestess might never be able to make it without your help." The Alchemist put his hands on her shoulders. "If I were your father, I would be so proud of you."

"Father…" She clenched her fist in front of her chest. "Then how to make my father keep proud of me? I don't think I want to be an adventurer anymore…"

"Well, you don't have to be an adventurer. You said that he prioritized the mastery of arts that are parts of your inheritance, right? Don't you think making dumpling would be one of the things that'd make him proud?" he innocently asked.

She chuckled. "Maybe you're right."

"Let's go and shop for the ingredients then. I can't wait to make them." He offered his hand at her which she happily accepted.

She almost forgot about her incident when they made dumplings together with the High Priestess that noon. There were so many laughter and flour-fighting during the process that she had forgotten when was the last time she had so much fun.

"Oh my! These foods are gems! How could I live this long without knowing this kind of cooking exist in this world?" the High Priestess said as she held both of her cheeks.

"They have unique shapes as well. It's so cool that you can make this one looks like a fruit," the Alchemist said as he bit into the bun with lotus filling. "They tasted extraordinary as well!"

"We have so many kind of foods you might want to try. I can make them but unfortunately this city doesn't have the spices I need."

"Well, we have many merchants coming from all over the world. I bet some of them must have it. They usually gather in the tavern in this city's west wing if you want to check them out," the High Priestess said.

"I will. Thank you for the information," said the Fighter as she bit on her dumpling. Together with the Alchemist and the High Priestess, they craned their head to the window's direction when they heard the horses' neigh. Both the High Priestess and the Alchemist immediately rose from their seat.

"Sorry, we'll continue this later. We have works to do," said the Alchemist.

"Uhm, can I help you?" the Fighter asked.

"Well… I'd rather not because…" The Alchemist didn't seem to want to end his sentence but it only gave her the idea why.

"It's… the goblin's victims, right?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. But it usually is…" He bit his bottom lip. "That's why I—"

"I'll help," she cut him. "You and your sister are kind enough to allow me to stay in this temple so… let me help in any way I can."

The Alchemist observed her for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll need to make the concoction for them, so please help my sister bring them to their room."

"Okay." She went to the main door and saw the same armored man that saved her in the cave talking to the High Priestess, muttering something like "take care of them" before bowing and left. The High Priestess helped them got off from the cart, placing her hand around one of them while whispering at them. Inside the cart were the girls covered in brown cloak that hung their head low.

The Fighter stood rooted in front of the cart when she saw herself amongst them, holding herself as she started to tremble from the memory. It was getting harder for her to swallow. An ice wave was beaming from the center of her belly then slowly spread throughout her body. Suddenly, it was getting harder for her to breath. She could feel their touches under her skin that she started to claw her arms to get it out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she could feel something hot rolling on her cheeks.

_I should've been death!_ the words echoed in her mind, weakening her that she could no longer feel her legs. _I can't live like this! I don't want to live like this anymore!_ she screamed to herself as she started to sob.

_"My daughter is not weak!"_

She snapped her eyes open when she heard her father's voice. With her glazy eyes, she looked around her to find the source of the voice but she couldn't. Glancing at her hands, she remembered the moment when he punished her for not being able to finish the practices he assigned to her.

_Tears rolling on her eyes when her father hit her palms with a tree branch when she failed to finish the one hundred squats._

_"I can't do this anymore! Why are you forcing me to do this everyday?! I hate you, Father! I hate you!"_

_"My daughter is not weak!" he shouted. "She can and will do the practices I assigned for her!"_

_"Then I'm not your daughter! I can't take this anymore! Go and find another daughter!" she yelled back as she stomped her foot on the ground before turning around to leave the training ground but her father held her arms firmly and turned her around._

_"My daughter is irreplaceable. Because I only have a daughter that will save everyone in her power just like what she always said."_

_"But I can't, Father! I'm a failure!" she sobbed. "I will never be the daughter that meet your expectation!"_

_He shook his head. "She is and will always meet my expectation." He then put his hands on the sides of her face. "Because she is a girl that uses her failure as the reason to get stronger."_

"Father…" she murmured under her breath. She glanced at the girls first, then slowly climbed the cart to approach one of them, an elf girl. Her purple eyes were deprived of life, scars all around her legs, and blood on the corner of her lips. The Fighter stroke her white hair first before pulling the girl into her embrace, feeling like she was embracing herself when she just got into the temple.

"It's okay. You're safe now…" She could feel something hot on her shoulder as the elf shed tears at her words. "I've been through what you've been through but trust me… everything will get better…" She lifted her head to the sky, glancing at the billion stars while wondering if her father resided in one of them.

"And you'll be strong enough to get over it."

* * *

_AN: __I hope you'd enjoy this chapter since I make this longer than the other two. XD You might notice that in my story, I make Fighter coming from the Eastern part of the world based on her face features and clothing. It's fun inserting the Spearman and the Witch because I kinda love them. LOL~_

_In case any of you available in Wattpad, please check out my account in ReikaNanatsuki. Honestly, with Wattpad being able to feature videos and graphics, I might be pampering you with more media over there. XD Please follow me, vote for my story, and add the book to your reading list!_

_Thank you **Tavish DeGroot**, **Danny Barefoot**, **Shark Shayu**, and **EternallyLostAuthor** for your kind reviews! I hope you're enjoying this new chapter! Your reviews are making me feel like it's worth posting this story because I'm not confident with the story at first. LOL~_

_For readers in Fanfiction, follows, favorites, and reviews are loved._

_Please note that I only upload my story in Fanfiction and Wattpad. If you happen to see my story in another sites, please kindly tell me._


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